February 21, 2017
Parent Teacher Conference
Our speaker for the night was Dr. Baynum. She went right into our discussion. As a parent, she has experience with both sides of this topic. Teachers must understand parents; we cannot judge them. We cannot judge their choices because we are not in their shoes.
The worst conference she was ever in was as a parent. Her children were in one of the top school districts. The first day of school the teacher calls one of her twins the “good one” and one the “bad one”. Her one daughter was losing her self-esteem; once it’s gone it’s hard to get back. The teacher was so prejudiced against her daughters, so she moved them to a different district. When you have a prejudice against a student, you alienate them. You alienate their parents.
Parents want you to know that you understand their plight. Parents want you to know that you value their child. Parents want to know that you are highly qualified. They want to know what your interest areas are. Parents want to know that you are there to support them. You continue to guide. Parents want to know that you’re fair. Give policies out to parents.
When you are talking to parents tell them not to do their child’s work. Teach parents about strategies to help their children get their own work done. Reading to children is important! Tell parents to read to kids in the bath tub! Do not judge any services a family may be receiving from the school district. Offer services that may be beneficial to a family that is struggling.
For parent teacher conferences, the room needs to look welcoming. Have snacks, resources, and games for the kids to use during the meeting. Have a big space for this, files of a child’s portfolio, data compared to other students. Talk with the parents about how to help move that child forward. Make notes for the parents to take at the end of the meeting. Make a checklist for yourself so that all the meetings are the same. Have it match the report card. Have a timeline of assessment so that the parents are aware of how much work the students are doing. Also, a timeline of topics and big projects is useful, too. Present information in the simplest form as possible.
Make sure parents know that these are just suggestions you are making and that you are not forcing them to change something if they can’t. At conferences, you have to inform parents about their child’s social/ emotional states. Have data to support this. Be honest with the parents, but don’t be rude. Teach parents to use prompts you use in class. Sometimes they need help communicating with their child; support them in this.
We are the first line of contact for families that are struggling or children who may need diagnosed. Ask parents if they have talked to their pediatrician. A doctor can better address some issues than you. Sometimes you will be uncomfortable meeting with a family alone. It’s okay to ask a partner teacher or a guidance counselor to sit in on the meeting. Parents want to know how to help their child better socialize. It’s okay to say a child works well with another student. Look at Susan Cain’s TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts
Talk to your parents about activities in their communities. Offer them lists of appropriate books for their child. Offer the resources the district has. Above all:
BE READY FOR CONFRONTATION!
You have to be professional. Do not argue back. Validate their feelings. Use your voice to deescalate the situation. Look for support if you need it. It will be hard, but talk to the parent at another time.
When parents don’t show up, it’s because they think they are going to hear the same thing once again. We are in a time period where we can communicate with them through technology. If this works for them, use it. Send parents surveys! Some schools have incentives for families that go to conferences.
We thanked Dr. Baynum for talking with us tonight. We then had a raffle; the winning member got a prize. We still have t-shirts left from last semester; they are $12. We decided this semester to get a long sleeve version of the shirt for $11.
This Thursday we are having a community service activity to fill backpacks at Benjamin Chambers Elementary School. We are leaving at 3:15 pm. If anyone is interested in helping, contact Emilee. Emilee also shared about the State Conference March 30th- April 1st . A sign-up sheet was sent around.
We welcomed everyone back for our next meeting February 28th, 2017 at 6pm in Shippen 224.
Signed by SU- PSEA Secretary,
Kristin Naumann
The worst conference she was ever in was as a parent. Her children were in one of the top school districts. The first day of school the teacher calls one of her twins the “good one” and one the “bad one”. Her one daughter was losing her self-esteem; once it’s gone it’s hard to get back. The teacher was so prejudiced against her daughters, so she moved them to a different district. When you have a prejudice against a student, you alienate them. You alienate their parents.
Parents want you to know that you understand their plight. Parents want you to know that you value their child. Parents want to know that you are highly qualified. They want to know what your interest areas are. Parents want to know that you are there to support them. You continue to guide. Parents want to know that you’re fair. Give policies out to parents.
When you are talking to parents tell them not to do their child’s work. Teach parents about strategies to help their children get their own work done. Reading to children is important! Tell parents to read to kids in the bath tub! Do not judge any services a family may be receiving from the school district. Offer services that may be beneficial to a family that is struggling.
For parent teacher conferences, the room needs to look welcoming. Have snacks, resources, and games for the kids to use during the meeting. Have a big space for this, files of a child’s portfolio, data compared to other students. Talk with the parents about how to help move that child forward. Make notes for the parents to take at the end of the meeting. Make a checklist for yourself so that all the meetings are the same. Have it match the report card. Have a timeline of assessment so that the parents are aware of how much work the students are doing. Also, a timeline of topics and big projects is useful, too. Present information in the simplest form as possible.
Make sure parents know that these are just suggestions you are making and that you are not forcing them to change something if they can’t. At conferences, you have to inform parents about their child’s social/ emotional states. Have data to support this. Be honest with the parents, but don’t be rude. Teach parents to use prompts you use in class. Sometimes they need help communicating with their child; support them in this.
We are the first line of contact for families that are struggling or children who may need diagnosed. Ask parents if they have talked to their pediatrician. A doctor can better address some issues than you. Sometimes you will be uncomfortable meeting with a family alone. It’s okay to ask a partner teacher or a guidance counselor to sit in on the meeting. Parents want to know how to help their child better socialize. It’s okay to say a child works well with another student. Look at Susan Cain’s TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts
Talk to your parents about activities in their communities. Offer them lists of appropriate books for their child. Offer the resources the district has. Above all:
BE READY FOR CONFRONTATION!
You have to be professional. Do not argue back. Validate their feelings. Use your voice to deescalate the situation. Look for support if you need it. It will be hard, but talk to the parent at another time.
When parents don’t show up, it’s because they think they are going to hear the same thing once again. We are in a time period where we can communicate with them through technology. If this works for them, use it. Send parents surveys! Some schools have incentives for families that go to conferences.
We thanked Dr. Baynum for talking with us tonight. We then had a raffle; the winning member got a prize. We still have t-shirts left from last semester; they are $12. We decided this semester to get a long sleeve version of the shirt for $11.
This Thursday we are having a community service activity to fill backpacks at Benjamin Chambers Elementary School. We are leaving at 3:15 pm. If anyone is interested in helping, contact Emilee. Emilee also shared about the State Conference March 30th- April 1st . A sign-up sheet was sent around.
We welcomed everyone back for our next meeting February 28th, 2017 at 6pm in Shippen 224.
Signed by SU- PSEA Secretary,
Kristin Naumann
Student Attendees:
Kristina Rhoades Antoinette Auchey Aspen Bloom Tyler Strine Megan McFireger Kayla Whittington Abigail Cox Nya Foster Brittany Ebeling Emilee Stoner Kristin Naumann Maddie Adams Veronica Ponti Shelby Rhoten |
Planned by:
Brittany Ebeling Emilee Stoner Kristin Naumann Veronica Ponti Heather Stine Maddie Adams Shelby Rhoten |